06 Mar The Effectiveness of using Hypnosis to turn Breech Babies
For any mums out there with breech babies, I have just come across the results of a study by Dr. Lewis Mehl Madrona from May, 1992, University of Vermont Medical School, on turning breech presentations using a hypnosis script, which you might be interested to know about, if you didn’t know already.
The study included 100 women who were referred from practicing obstetricians and an additional 100 who responded to an advertisement. Only women carrying their babies in breech position at 36 weeks gestation or more were included.
Dr. Mehl-Madrona used a hypnosis script with the 100 women in the study group and there was a comparison group of 100 women who had no hypnotherapy, though some did have ECV (external cephalic version).
In the study group the Mothers, while in hypnosis, were led through guided imagery to bring them into a deep relaxation. They were asked to visualise their babies easily turning and then visualise their babies in the correct vertex position. The Mothers visualised the uterus becoming soft and pliable to allow the baby sufficient room to re-position. The Mother was asked to talk to her baby, and the therapist encouraged the baby to release itself from the position and to turn itself downward for birth.
The study ended with 81% of the breech babies with the hypnotherapy turning spontaneously from breech to vertex presentation as opposed to only 26% babies who turned spontaneously without hypnotherapy. An additional 20% turned with ECV.
It was originally thought that each Mother would require approximately ten hours of hypnotherapy in order to accomplish the desired result. As the study unfolded, the average number of hours with each woman was only four and half hours, and only half of the successful 81 turns required only one session.
On the HypnoBirthing (Mongan Method) course there is a specific script that we can offer mums for breech presentations before they go for an ECV. I really think its worth mums knowing the effectiveness of hypnosis to turn breech presentations as it’s a very safe way to do it and sometimes with ECVs the baby sometimes turns back to the breech position. When the turning of the breech baby is achieved through hypnosis, the baby usually remains in the vertex position. Mothers with babies in breech position can also be helped with fear release therapy on the course where they let go of fears concerning their pregnancy, birthing, and parenting through hypnosis.
No Comments